WA government wants federal help with Collie’s coal transition
- The federal government has announced funding support for Collie in Western Australia as the town continues its transition away from coal, aiming to diversify its economy and protect local jobs.
- The package is intended to attract new industries such as renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, and clean technology to replace declining coal-related employment.
- Community leaders and workers are cautiously optimistic, but there are concerns about whether the transition will deliver enough well-paid jobs quickly enough to offset coal sector losses.
The West Australian government says almost $700 million of total transition funding was not enough to re-employ 1,300 workers in the regional town of Collie, 200 kilometres south of Perth, before the coal industry shuts in 2030.
Now, WA Energy Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson is calling on the federal government to release funds from the $15-billion National Reconstruction Fund, as it did for the South Australian steelworkers of Whyalla.
“Certainly we would be seeking several millions, if not tens of millions, to be able to support the infrastructure in the same way they support other struggling infrastructure in the eastern states,” Ms Sanderson told ABC South West Breakfast.
Ms Sanderson said she was frustrated the federal government had not contributed yet.
The ABC has contacted the prime minister’s office for comment.
Replacement jobs in the ‘ether’
Yesterday, coal miners and workers’ unions rallied out front of WA’s parliament calling for federal intervention to bring more heavy industry to town before the coal industry is shut in 2030.
Electrical Trades Union state secretary Adam Woodage said time was running out to build new heavy industries before state-owned coal mines and power …
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Original article and photo by "ABC News"
